CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois women’s track and field team has received two major honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association. Tonja Buford-Bailey was named Head Coach of the Year for the Midwest Region, while junior distance runner Angela Bizzarri was selected Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year.
The USTFCCCA annually recognizes the top men’s and women’s track and field athletes and coaches in nine Division I regions throughout the nation.
In her first season as head coach, Buford-Bailey guided the Illini to fourth place at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, the highest finish in the meet in school history. Illinois produced two regional champions — Bizzarri (5,000 meters) and Deserea Brown (400 hurdles) — and qualified eight athletes for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.